With speeches, music and tours The Cancer Patients’ House was inaugurated on Friday in Nuuk.
It happened at an opening where, among others, Greenland’s Naalakkersuisoq for Health and Persons with Disabilities, Anna Wangenheim, participated.
With speeches, music and tours The Cancer Patients’ House was inaugurated on Friday in Nuuk.
It happened at an opening where, among others, Greenland’s Naalakkersuisoq for Health and Persons with Disabilities, Anna Wangenheim, participated.
Several years of planning for the counseling center lie ahead, followed by construction that started in May last year.
The project is a close collaboration between Neriuffik Kattuffiat, the Greenlandic national association for cancer patients, and the Danish Cancer Society.
The Cancer Patients’ House is the first of its kind in Greenland and is located close to Queen Ingrid’s Hospital, SANA, where cancer treatment in Greenland takes place.
In the house, people affected by cancer can get free advice and knowledge and meet others who are in a similar situation.
– It is a big day for Greenlandic cancer patients and relatives. With the new house, we are taking an important step towards more security and better help for people affected by cancer, says Inger Eriksen, chairman of the Greenlandic cancer association Neriuffiit Kattuffiat.
Adapted to Greenlandic conditions and needs
The house is inspired by the Norwegian Cancer Society’s cancer advice in Denmark, but developed for Greenlandic conditions and needs.
The organization has, among other things, cancer counseling in Herlev near Copenhagen, Esbjerg and Herning. And now a consultancy has opened in Nuuk.
– It is strong to see the Cancer Patients’ House completed today. The house has been created with our Greenlandic sister association as one of the central driving forces and is a fantastic example of how much we can achieve together – for the benefit of people affected by cancer in Greenland, says Jesper Fisker, CEO of the Cancer Society.
This year alone, around 250 people in Greenland will be diagnosed with cancer. The risk of getting cancer is not significantly higher than in the other Nordic countries. On the other hand, the risk of dying from cancer is greater in Greenland than in any other Nordic country, according to the latest figures from the database NORDCAN.
The house was built with support from the AP Møller Foundation, which has donated DKK 10 million. The Norwegian Cancer Society has also contributed DKK 10 million from funds collected through Knæk Cancer, while Neriuffiit Kattuffiat has contributed DKK 8 million from its national collection. Greenland’s Self-Government and the North Atlantic pool from the Ministry of the Interior and Health have also helped finance the house.
Kræftpatienternes Hus is not just a physical offer in Nuuk. Through digital counseling services, the house must also be able to reach people who live in settlements and outlying districts, writes Kræftens Bekæmpelse. The building also houses Neriuffik Kattuffiat’s headquarters and the local association in Nuuk.
– My hope is that the house will become a place where people affected by cancer can find both community and hope – and that help can reach all of Greenland, regardless of where you live, says Helen Bernt Andersen, chairman of the Cancer Society.
